To facilitate the removal of materials such as linoleum, ceramic tile, rugs and other adhesive plastics from a surface such as a floor, it is desirable to remove flooring material without using a power tool or requiring an individual to labor on hand and knee with a hammer and chisel or an ice scraper to remove the surface material. Removing material from surfaces in such a manner is extremely difficult and time consuming. Additionally, in some instances, particularly with old structures, the presence of asbestos flooring presents a health hazard when, in the process of removing the flooring, asbestos fibers are released into the environment. Consequently, in the removal of flooring known to contain asbestos, it is desirable to keep the dust particles to a minimum while also keeping the individuals removing the asbestos material as far as practicable from the source of dust.
Conventional scrapers require that the individual pull back the entire tool before thrusting the tool in order to achieve sufficient impact against the floor material to dislodge it. Consequently, conventional scrapers generate more dust in their operation and require much more effort in redirecting the cutting blade to exactly the same place during the tool stroke.
Conventional scraping tools are easily contaminated because their surfaces trap dust and other particles between the scraping blade clamps and the scraping blade. The build up of dust and particle debris between the blade clamp and the cutting blade ultimately causes a separation to occur between the clamp and blade due to the wedging action of the dust and particles. This action eventually leads to a failure in the fastener members holding the clamp and blade together and in some instances structural failure of the clamp.